Realize
by rune stine
Summary: Certain events brought back the same question that Setsuna would have to answer once again: “Your sword…or your happiness?” KonoSetsu CHAPTER 2 UP...
1. The Year of the Demons

**Summary: **Certain events brought back the question that Setsuna would have to answer once again: "Your sword…or your happiness?"

**Warning: Shoujo-ai, don't like? Press BACK button then.**

**Author's notes: **May be a little AU/OC**.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Mahou Sensei Negima, Negima!?, Negima!! Magister Magi, and everything involved. I'm just making a fiction out of it.

**Realize**

**By: Rune Stine**

**Chapter One: The Year of the Demons**

Mana Tatsumiya was walking silently on the dark woods outside Mahora school grounds. Wearing her usual hunting attire, she also brought the rifle she often used. She looked back, she believed her patrol companion Setsuna Sakurazaki should be walking behind her. However the other girl who was wearing a Mahora school uniform stopped walking, her pale, skinny hand covering her eyes. Mana might not be showing it, but she'd been observing. It's been a month and a half since they celebrated New Year's Eve. Setsuna had been acting a bit off ever since. The hanyo would suddenly snap at her classmates, even Mana herself, and then walking out of class whenever she wanted. Her habit of disappearing to the shadows like before was slowly going back, too. The tan girl decided to walk back to her friend.

"It's doing it again, isn't it? Your eyes." Mana started, Setsuna raised her head slightly and nodded.

"Look, I've been telling you to consult Negi-sensei about this. Honestly, you're more stubborn than ever." The markswoman added as she removed Setsuna's hand away from her face and examined her friend's eyes.

"I don't want to worry anyone. Besides, Negi-sensei had a lot of things to do since the exams are coming. Don't forget his training with Evangeline-san...I can't believe that even black-brown contact lenses are still useless." Setsuna whispered the last sentence to her self. She sighed and gently shoved Mana's hands away and started to walk.

"Well, if that's your decision. Just don't go showing those eyes and scare our classmates." The tan girl followed.

"Shut up." Setsuna glared at her, obviously pissed at the last statement. Mana normally didn't allow anyone to tell her to shut up, but she decided to ignore it. Besides, she couldn't miss the opportunity of seeing the swords-girl's annoyed face. She's tired of Setsuna's humble and blushing face.

"Relax. You know I'm only kidding. You don't have to look at me like your going to murder me. What will happen if your ojou-sama sees you like this?" Mana smirked at her friend's off guard face. Setsuna looked up and stared on the bright moonlight in the sky. She hated to see someone looking at her with a frightened face. It only reminded and made her felt less human. As long as she kept her demon part hidden she shouldn't worry.

But that's what she had been worrying about. Five weeks ago, her eyes started glowing against her will. She once tried to look at herself in the mirror at night and couldn't believe that she was scared by her own pair of glowing red eyes. And the last thing she ever wanted to happen was to frighten Konoka with the sudden change. Setsuna grabbed her Yuunagi tight. She didn't know what to do. Mana stopped once again and gave Setsuna an amused look.

"Setsuna, hold your breath." Mana ordered. The other girl gave her a questioning gaze.

"Hold your breath until I tell you to breathe. Just do it." The markswoman was glaring at her. Setsuna closed her eyes and gulped before holding her breath. While on the process, she heard Mana whisper. She slowly opened her eyes only to see Mana counting with her fingers.

"...seven, eight, nine...ten. You can breathe now." The young samurai started breathing. She looked at Mana who was still looking at her like she's waiting for the swordsgirl to say something.

"What? Feeling better?" Mana finally asked.

Setsuna was clueless. She didn't know what her friend was trying to imply.

"I guess it worked. You're back to your old self again. So are your eyes." Mana continued walking. Setsuna followed, with a big question mark written on her face.

"Wait, what was that for?"

"To calm your nerves down. You start by breathing in, then count to ten and finally breathe out." Mana replied without looking back at the swords-girl.

Setsuna looked down at the thought and whispered thanks to her friend. Hopefully that will keep her eyes from glowing.

Mana stopped and waved a hand to Setsuna who just stopped. They sensed a presence lurking near them. Mana lifted her rifle silently while Setsuna was on her sword stance. The swords-girl's eyes wandered. Both girls have trained their eyes for these situations since using flashlights would be a disadvantage when fighting demons in the middle of the night.

'_left, right...up, down...' _

"Behind! _**ZaNgAnKeN**__**!**_" Setsuna yelled swinging her sword behind. The object she intended to hit was a deformed shadow behind her. The said object started to evaporate. It's one of those stray demon traps. Both girls alerted themselves.

Mana knew. Her own pair of demon eyes saw that, too. It seemed that demons have been appearing more than usual. She wondered if someone was behind this. The tan haired girl fired her rifle to her left.

Seconds after, three demons with sharp pointed elbows jumped above them. The first one had green leather-like skin with one horn in the middle of its forehead and had unstable white eyes. The second demon was the tallest and had a pair of horns on its head. It also possessed green skin and white eyes. Finally, the last one was the biggest and seemed to be the strongest of the three. It had brown leather-like skin. His eyes were yellow and have more than five horns sticking unevenly on its head. All three demons' elbows stick out and formed a scythe behind. Mana pointed her rifle to the brown demon in the middle.

"Alright, I'm sick of playing merry go round. Who sent you?" The tan girl asked without falter.

"I don't know what you mean by that lady but we're merely just demons who long for human flesh and blood. Looks like we're lucky tonight and we don't have to force our way in the building to get some prey!" The brown demon replied as the two green demons behind him started to move and attack the patrol students. The first demon ran straight to the tan girl.

Mana used her rifle to block the first demon's attacks. With the unknown source of its speed and power, the markswoman needed to find a way to distance herself and fire her rifle. Reaching and opening a secret slot at the back handle of her rifle she took out a small bottle with blue glowing liquid substance. She blocked another attack and broke the small glass bottle on the demon's forehead. The glowing liquid penetrated the one-horned demon's eyes and yelped. Mana smirked and kicked the demon a few feet away from her. She focused her rifle and shot the demon on its head, resulting to an instant defeat.

After killing one out of three demons the markswoman regarded her patrol partner. Setsuna doesn't have any problems since her speed was giving her a great advantage. But for some reason, the second demon was slowly catching up with her speed. Not letting the tables turn, Setsuna grabbed some ofuda (*1) from her pocket to cast a spell.

"Shinmei special technique, _**SakUra PeTals of ConFusion**__!_" She whispered as she threw four paper talismans in midair. Each ofuda shattered and became cherry blossom petals. It surrounded the tall demon and blocked its view. Setsuna prepared for the final blow.

"_**ZaNgAnKeN**__**!**_" She yelled as she successfully slashed second demon. Thinking the other girl was finished with her fight, Mana called Setsuna, the third bastard was still around. She could sense it. Setsuna nodded and looked around for the brown demon. She felt her eyes sting with pain. She shook her head and seconds after she looked up. The brown demon's yellow eyes reflected with her red ones.

"Mana, above you!" The brown demon had bat-like wings and was flying down a few feet away from Mana with lightning speed. The markswoman knew that firing her rifle was a bit too late. With her quick reflexes she used her weapon as a shield once again to block the attack but this demon was stronger. The brown demon managed to break Mana's rifle into half and stabbed the tan girl on her right arm using his scythe elbows. Mana winced but using her free left hand she quickly reached at her back. She grabbed her spare handgun pistol and fired it directly to the demon's yellow eyes. The blade's pressure on her arm lessened. Setsuna immediately slashes the demon's arm away from Mana and stabs its heart. Finally they were able to defeat the last demon.

Mana knelt down to observe her injury. Setsuna panicked and kneeled down beside her. She gently held Mana's bloody arm and rested it down on her own knee, ignoring the blood staining her white uniform.

"Hey, don't move. It looks bad." Setsuna said as she checked Mana's wounds. She slowly lifted the beige leather sleeve upwards to get a better view of Mana's arm.

"Don't worry. I'm just bleeding like hell. My trusty leather jacket saved my arm. The blade never reached my bones." Mana whispered as Setsuna unwrapped a pack of bandages from Mana's mini leather belt bag. The wound was about two inches. The young samurai wrapped the wound as a first aid and helped her friend back to Mahora academy school grounds. They needed to alert the teachers about the demons.

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It's been a while since Negi felt this peaceful. He was sitting on his study table thinking about tomorrow's English lessons. He couldn't help but to recall what happened last year. Although his father's whereabouts was still unknown, he'll never give up. His group, Ala Alba was stronger than ever. Everyone had progressed a lot with their respective skills, especially the red head Asuna. It's already midnight in Mahora dormitory. He's staying up to prepare his beloved students' lessons.

Negi heard distant voices outside the window near him. He opened it slightly upward, his wand prepared. Negi's eyes wandered outside the dark environment and saw some lamps lit near the infirmary building. The Dean of the school, Konoemon with Takahata-sensei, Shizuna-sensei, Setsuna Sakurazaki and the other teachers were outside the infirmary. Negi grabbed his robe and covered his light green pajamas. He slowly goes out of the room careful not to wake Asuna or Konoka and proceeded to where the infirmary was located.

"Negi-kun, you're still up?" The Dean asked but with no hint of surprise. He looked at Setsuna's school uniform, it was stained with blood. Negi panicked, he was about to ask when Takahata spoke.

"Relax Negi-kun. Setsuna-kun isn't hurt...but Tatsumiya-kun..." Negi noticed that Takahata was frowning. He looked at Setsuna who bowed down guiltily.

"She was injured. Her arm was stabbed by a stray demon that we were trying to hunt down like we always do outside the school grounds. For some reason, they're getting stronger and faster every night..." The shy samurai explained.

"How is she?" Negi asked worriedly. He was obviously referring to Mana Tatsumiya.

"She's safe now. She said her pride's the only thing that was injured. What a brave girl." Shizuna-sensei replied. She was wearing a robe covering her sky-blue nightgown.

'_To think that Tatsumiya-san is really good at long-ranged combat...These demons are probably up to something.' _Negi thought.

"This is a bit troublesome. I am afraid that Setsuna-kun won't be out of the school grounds starting tomorrow night for the meantime." The Dean said. Setsuna was surprised with the decision.

"G-Gakuencho-san, I can't leave my duties behind, I'm pretty sure I can handle it even without Tatsumiya. I have sworn loyalty to you and Eishun-sama, and that I will serve and protect the school grounds." The young samurai said as she kneeled down a single leg. Her fists balled, feeling anxious for some reason.

"You and Tatsumiya-kun always did a very good job maintaining the safety of our school grounds every night. Right now this is already getting out of hand, especially when a very skillful student is injured. We can't bear if this happens to you too, Setsuna-kun." Konoemon explained. Setsuna nodded weakly.

"For the time being I will investigate what's happening. I will also observe the demon's behaviors--" Takahata announced.

"That won't be necessary." A girl's voice interrupted them.

Negi looked behind him and saw his shrimpy vampire master and student Evangeline with Chachamaru. Evangeline was wearing her favorite black vampire gown while Chachamaru was wearing a maid's uniform.

"Master, do you know something about this?" Negi asked. The rest of them are all waiting for the vampire's answer.

"Oi old man, do you happen to remember what year it is right now in the western mage calendar?" Evangeline asked Konoemon. The Dean's eyes twitched. Negi and the others were completely clueless. Evangeline did not wait for the answer.

"I take that as a yes. I discovered this a month ago. Although I ignored it because I thought it was nothing." Evangeline continued.

"I see. It's...the _year of the demons._" Konoemon said without thinking.

"I-I've heard of it. The year of the demons takes place every three hundred years...but that's all I know." Negi said.

"That probably explains it. There's nothing much special about it, really. The demons behave more aggressively than they used to." Takahata said. Evangeline looked at Setsuna.

"Your eyes seem to be glowing more than usual. Could it be that your demon part is responding to it too, Setsuna?" Evangeline asked and smiled menacingly. The swordsgirl remained silent.

"I have proven and trusted Setsuna-kun's ability. There is no need to worry. Negi-kun and the other teachers will definitely look after her and the students." Konoemon said. Setsuna nodded eagerly and bowed.

"I truly appreciate the trust you put in me. I will do my best."

"Now, you still have school tomorrow. Negi-kun, as much as possible, try to keep what happened to Tatsumiya-kun." The Dean finally said as he and the teachers retired themselves.

"Um...Setsuna-san, I'll accompany you back to the dorms." Negi offered as he turned his head to the said girl. Setsuna and Evangeline seemed to be looking at each other seriously after everyone departed.

-"_I'm just warning you as a fellow student. You're a half-demon after all._"- Evangeline communicated telepathically to Setsuna.

-"_Do you really think of me that low?_"- Setsuna replied back on her mind, her eyes starting to glow a little reddish as she readied her sword.

-"_Ho-ho, can't control your temper now, can you?_"- Evangeline smirked. Setsuna hated to admit it, but the vampire girl was right. She had been trying to keep her emotions intact. '_Damn this demon's year thingy and this hanyo blood_.'

"I'll be going. I'll be here when you need me, Setsuna." Evangeline and Chachamaru finally disappeared. Setsuna sighed, releasing her stress.

"Are you alright Setsuna-san?" Negi asked. The child teacher was a bit startled when Setsuna looked at him with a pair of glowing red eyes. Negi stepped back a bit. Setsuna noticed this small move and frowned.

"Don't worry Negi-sensei, I won't hurt you. My eyes are just reacting to the environment. I'm still myself. Evangeline-san was right. My demon half is going haywire this year, but I won't turn into a blood-thirsty demon or anything." Setsuna explained. Negi sighed in relief.

"So your eyes are like that because of the demon's year, Setsuna-san?" The child teacher asked. Setsuna nodded and covered her forehead with her free hand.

"They glow whenever they want, that's why I keep avoiding people when it happens. I don't want to scare everyone with these eyes. And I've been having difficulty controlling my emotions recently. I easily get mad for some reason. I just hope this will end soon." She balled her fists, feeling angry at herself each passing second.

"Tatsumiya-san has demon eyes as well, no?" the mage teacher asked.

"I don't see her eyes glow or show anything. I've been wondering about that as well." Setsuna replied.

'_I wonder if Mana is hiding it from me..._'

"Don't worry, Setsuna-san. I'm glad you told me about this. I've been worried about you since you're always spacing out in class. I'll definitely do something about this!" Negi said eagerly.

Setsuna breathed a large amount of air, letting it out after ten seconds, just like what Mana instructed her to do, and that calmed her a bit. Negi received a small nod from the half-demon. They walked together back to their dormitory.

"Negi-sensei?" Setsuna called the child teacher.

"What is it?" Negi looked at her curiously.

"Please don't tell anyone about my eyes, especially Konoka-ojousama."

"Eh, but why?" Negi asked worriedly.

"I...don't want to cause any trouble. I'll try to be careful, I promise."

"Well, if you say so." Negi for some reason wasn't convinced with his student's answer.

--------

Morning came and Negi's class just started. He gave an excuse on what happened to Mana. Asuna and Konoka already knew what happened after Negi told them last night. Konoka had not taken her eyes off Setsuna since the start of the class. Her bodyguard seemed to be upset about something. Probably because of what happened to Mana, she's her confidante after all. Setsuna on the other hand was feeling more and more uncomfortable every minute because of her ojou-sama's worried gaze.

Finally the class was over. Konoka and Asuna went out of the room. They both waited for Setsuna. The young hanyo came out of the room with her Yuunagi. Konoka smiled at her but to the princess' surprise, she was ignored.

"Secchan?" She called the other girl with her favorite nick name. Setsuna was lost in thoughts. Konoka skipped in front of her and Setsuna jumped in surprise. The mage-in-training held her bodyguard's face with her hands, causing the other girl to blush.

"O-Ojou-sama, what is it?" Setsuna nervously said. Konoka looked into the other girl's eyes for a few seconds.

"Mou, who are you calling? It's Kono-chan, how many times do I have to tell you that? Secchan, you don't have any sleep at all, do you?" She said to her bodyguard. Setsuna's blush faded and looked down. Feeling the awkward silence, Asuna broke the ice.

"We're sorry to hear about Tatsumiya-san. Good thing she's not badly injured. I'm sure she'll recover in no time." Asuna whispered and gave an apologetic smile. Setsuna suddenly felt her eyes sting with pain. '_Oh no, here goes my eyes again! I need to stay away from Asuna-san and ojou-sama's sight before they notice.'_

"Setsuna-san, are you alright?" Asuna asked when she noticed the other girl spacing out. The raven-haired girl flinched and avoided her gaze.

"Huh? Oh, right...I know Mana will be alright. Thank you for your concern but I need to do something. I will go back as soon as possible. I'm sorry, Ojou—I mean Kono-chan." Setsuna gently pulled down Konoka's hands and continued to walk. Konoka knew she was obviously hiding something. She caught up with Setsuna and blocked the girl's way once again.

"Secchan, are you not feeling well that you don't want to be with us today? Tell me, where does it hurt and I'll do my best to heal it." Konoka started searching for any visible wounds or bruise on her bodyguard's body. As if in a trance Setsuna held Konoka's shoulders rather a little tight which made the mage gasp a bit. The healer noticed the angry eyes of her guardian. It looked a little crimson because of the sun's reflection from the windows of the classroom hall. Or was it because of the sun? Whatever it was Konoka eventually ignored it. Instead she was more worried that she made Setsuna angry.

"Ojou-sama, I-am-not-hurt. I just want to be alone, please...I'm sorry." Setsuna said, finally letting go of Konoka's shoulders and disappeared in the hallway. Asuna was a bit confused on what happened.

'_So she really wants to be alone after all._'

"H-hey Konoka, what's wrong with Setsuna-san?" Asuna noticed that her chocolate-haired friend was frowning.

"Asuna...something's bothering Secchan and she won't even tell it to me. She's been avoiding me—-us thrice this week already." Konoka replied, trying to hold back a tear from escaping her eyes. She doesn't want Asuna to worry. Actually, it had been three weeks since Setsuna acted weird as far as the chocolate-haired healer knew. The swordsgirl would join them for lunch and dinner. But there were times when Setsuna would suddenly excuse herself and be gone for hours.

"Setsuna-san is probably trying to recover from yesterday's incident. I guess she's not ready to tell it to you or to any of us yet. The best thing we do is to ask Negi since he may know something about Setsuna-san's behavior." Asuna gave her best friend a reassuring smile and Konoka smiled a bit. They went back to their dorms to ask Negi about it.

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--Mahora Dormitory--

"Setsuna-san is what?" Negi asked as Asuna and Konoka confronted him.

"She's been avoiding us, especially Konoka. Did you notice anything strange about her lately?" The red-head asked.

"W-well it may be—" Negi was cut by Konoka.

"She's actually starting to avoid everyone...like the day before yesterday she just walked out of the classroom when Honya-chan (*2) asked her a favor. Last week she even ignored Nitta-sensei in the middle of the lesson. And just awhile ago she...well...Secchan isn't the type of person who would do that." Konoka almost whispered on the last sentence.

"Nitta-sensei was really pissed! That was the first time Setsuna-san ever ditched a class. Oi Negi, you were with her last night, right? What exactly happened?" Asuna was squeezing Negi's cheek.

"Ouch, okay I'll tell you right now! It's because this year is the year of the demons in western mage calendar! Setsuna-san's eye—I mean she's having difficulties controlling her temper!" Negi whispered. Asuna finally let go of his cheek. '_That was close, I almost said "eyes"...I promised Setsuna-san not to tell them.'_

"Eh? Year of the demons? Is there such a thing?" Asuna asked and looked at Konoka who shrugged.

"B-but what does it have to do with Secchan...oh..." Konoka suddenly realized that her guardian was a half-demon.

"Setsuna-san is acting weird because of it? I guess it's her demon instinct." Asuna crossed her arms with the thought.

"Apparently, the demons that were appearing from the school grounds recently are much stronger than usual because of the said year. Setsuna-san and Tatsumiya-san are the only ones doing patrols every night. Eva-san will only help if she feels like it. I guess they were out-numbered last night that's why Mana-san was injured." Negi explained.

"But without Tatsumiya-san, will Secchan be alright tonight?" Konoka asked worriedly.

"Oh, that. Your grandfather actually puts the 'patrolling' on hold for the meantime because he wanted to avoid further casualties." Negi replied and Konoka sighed in relief.

"Well isn't that great Konoka? Setsuna-san's schedule is going to be less occupied now!" Asuna teased, Konoka blushed for a second and she smiled excitedly as an idea just came in her mind.

"I know, let's go visit her in her room! I'll bake some cakes and snacks so we can eat there while chatting." Konoka said to Asuna and Negi. The two looked at each other and winked.

"Sorry! I need to get my pay today before the sun sets." Asuna gave an honest excuse.

"M-me too! Takahata-sensei asked me to assist him on checking the anti-demon and spell barrier outside the school grounds to see if there are any loopholes or portals of some sort..." Negi said, giving Konoka his cute apologetic smile.

"Eh, with Takahata-sensei??" Asuna blushed, hearing the name of the teacher she had a crush on. Konoka looked at the two. Was this something intentional? She thought, but never the less she ignored it since she also wanted to talk to Setsuna in private.

"It's alright. I guess it's just me and Secchan then!"

()()()()()()

F.Y.I.:

1.) **Ofuda**-Japanese term for talisman or charm issued by Shinto shrine. It is made by inscribing the name of a kami, the name of Shinto shrine, or a representative of kami on a strip of paper, wood, cloth, or metal.(See Wiki)

2.) **Honya**-Means 'Librarian' or library representative in Japanese. In this chapter, I added an honorific (-chan) since most students in Mahora call Nodoka as Honya-chan.

()()()()()()

Oh God, how long had I've been gone...a year!?

Well I'm really sorry for being gone so long my fellow readers. It's either I'm busy or I'm lazy, but I've been updating my fics on my PC.

This is my first Konoka/Setsuna FanFic. I hope it turned out good. Please let me know what you think. I may need to re-edit this but it depends on my yuri fuel. It may take long for this fic to update though.

Also, for those who were reading my other 2 fics, they will be updated VERY SOON, as a Christmas gift. Plus, the grammar error shit will be reduced and a lot of sweet addition/changes.

Ja! Need to daydream again!

Runie


	2. The Visit

**Summary: **Certain events brought back the question that Setsuna would have to answer once again: "Your sword…or your happiness?"

**Warning: Shoujo-ai, don't like? Press BACK button then.**

**Author's notes: **May be a little AU/OC**.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Mahou Sensei Negima, Negima!?, Negima!! Magister Magi, and everything involved. I'm just making a fiction out of it.

**Chapter Two: The Visit **

"It's alright. I guess it's just me and Secchan then!" Konoka happily walked to the kitchen to start baking when Negi called her.

"Uh...Konoka-san?"

"Yes?" The chocolate-haired mage peeked from the kitchen.

"I forgot to tell you that Eishun-san arrived this morning, I think he and your grandfather wanted to talk to you about something." Negi noticed Konoka's eager smile fell.

"I-I see. I'll have to see them before going to Secchan's." She placed the baking materials back from the kitchen cupboard and removed the apron she had just worn. She was always excited to see her father every time he visited. However, recently she had been trying to avoid him and his grandfather.

'_They're going to talk to me about __**that**__ again.'_ Konoka thought, how she wished that Setsuna was with her right now. Seeing her dearest friend's face would at least give her a little encouragement.

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Standing in front of the Dean's office, Konoka concentrated on breathing in and out calmly then opened the door in front of her. Her father, Eishun and her grandfather were having tea while waiting for her.

"Ah, Konoka-chan! Come in, come in. You're just in time." Konoemon stood from his seat and went to his desk to get a thick brown folder. Eishun gave her beloved daughter a hug and a kiss on her forehead.

"How are you, my little Konoka?" Eishun asked. Although her daughter's sad smile already answered his question. He didn't like to come every week or two to see his daughter suffer from being pressured. But his father-in-law was persistent on arranging the _Omiai_(*1). Therefore, his cooperation was needed.

"We were talking to Setsuna-kun about yesterday's incident. I guess we'll continue this tomorrow, Setsuna-kun?" Konoemon turned his head from his granddaughter, who slowly followed his gaze and saw her dear friend standing in the very corner of the office. Setsuna bowed then looked from Eishun to Konoka, her face was still as stone.

"I will excuse myself, then. I will be outside if you need my assistance." Setsuna finally said. Konoka's heart was racing. Did they talk about the omiai in front of Setsuna earlier while she wasn't in the room? It really wasn't something that she needed to explain to her friend but she didn't want anyone to know about it, especially Setsuna.

"You don't have to, Setsuna-kun. I know you're still tired from last night's incident. You can go back to your room and take a rest. Besides, this may take longer than expected." Konoemon said to her. Eishun's gentle nod convinced the hanyo to obey. She whispered her thanks and excused herself once again before leaving the Dean's office. Konoka never left her gaze on the door where Setsuna came out. She thought that just by seeing her winged guardian's face would make her feel better but it looked like it made her feel worse. Worse because Setsuna did not smile at her.

'_Was she still mad about this morning? Or was it that she heard about the omiai?_'

"Is something bothering you, Konoka?" Eishun asked worriedly. Konoka snapped out of her reverie and looked at his father.

"I'm alright, daddy. So...what do you want to talk about today?" Konoka asked innocently. Konoemon handed the thick brown folder he was holding to Konoka. The mage in training looked inside and sighed as she anticipated what's inside it.

"I was so overwhelmed because we have more proposals than we used to this month. Not to mention they came from a very great and well-known families. I am hoping that you will like at least one of them." Konoemon said enthusiastically. Konoka flipped through the papers, trying to look interested though she couldn't hide the sadness on her face.

"They're...all great and good looking...and too old for me..." Konoka said absent-mindedly.

"Age is not a factor anymore when it comes to marriage. Besides, we need someone who is strong enough to protect you. I would definitely prefer someone as strong and responsible as Setsuna-kun so that when she's not around anymore—"

"--I don't think I'm ready for this right now, grandpa. I want to focus on my studies first...I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." Konoka interrupted. The thought of Setsuna leaving did not cross her mind at all and she would never allow it. _Ever_. Even if it means she had to refuse every proposal for the omiai and disappoint her father and grandpa. Both Konoemon and Eishun looked at her with surprise. The brown-haired mage bit her lower lip as she felt their gaze.

"I see...I understand. I'm sorry I never noticed that I was already forcing you into this. You are indeed too young for it." Konoemon smiled gently and patted Konoka's head. He might be worried that he would not see his granddaughter's marriage in time but seeing her sad would probably kill him on the spot, he laughed at the thought although it's true. They closed the discussion and the healer finally excused herself after hugging both her father and grandfather.

Konoka felt a lot more relieved now that his grandfather decided to stop bothering her with the omiai for a while. She could have told them that she wasn't ready at the first place but she was too afraid to do so. The thought of not having Setsuna by her side was unbearable. She had decided from the start of her mage training that the raven-haired hanyo would be her partner. After that, once she's a great Magister Magi, _maybe_...

The thought hit Konoka, like a rampaging trailer truck. She stopped from walking, blushing profusely. She shook her head and slapped her cheeks gently with her small hands.

"Naughty me, I shouldn't think of that right now. What's important is to talk to Secchan and make up for making her angry this morning." The healer composed herself and went back to their dorms to bake something before visiting Setsuna.

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Konoka climbed upstairs to the third floor of the dorm building with her eager feet. She met Misora along the way and greeted the short-haired nun. She passed three or four doors and also met the Fuuka twins along with Kaede who bowed to the healer.

Finally she arrived at Setsuna's room, and it was the last door in the hall. Konoka looked at the silver plate next to the door. Written on it were the names: 'Sakurazaki Setsuna' and 'Tatsumiya Mana' below her childhood friend's name. The last time she, Asuna and Negi visited Setsuna, Mana was sitting on the carpet floor, cleaning her rifle, the front pointed straight to Negi, who whimpered. Setsuna and Mana were both reserved so they didn't talk to each other too much. But even so, every time they knocked the door Konoka could feel their presence inside the room. However, the room today seemed to be quiet as if no one's inside. Konoka knocked anyway.

**KNOCK! KNOCK!**

"...Who is it?" Setsuna's suspicious voice sounded behind the door. The healer did not expect the quick response.

"Secchan it's me!" There was a moment of silence. Usually when Konoka was visiting, the swords-girl would open the door the moment she heard her Ojou-sama's voice.

Inside her room Setsuna sat up slowly from her bed after hearing the irresistible voice of her princess. She looked at the wooden door. Standing behind that door is the most important person in her life. For some reason something was holding her back from opening it. Voices filled with doubts, fear and hesitation. Everything she heard from the headmaster's room, about Konoka's Omiai all came back to her mind. Before, she had been patiently waiting outside the Dean's office every time Konoka was called about it, Setsuna didn't know what they have been talking about until today. She had never imagined it to be very painful, to hear the discussion of Konoka's future—A future without her. She frowned and looked down on the floor. She could keep quiet and pretend she wasn't in the room. But the thought of Konoka standing there outside, eagerly waiting for her to open the door, preparing the smile that she could only posses, it was making Setsuna forget everything for a moment, even her own name. She stood up and sighed before walking towards the door.

"Secchan, are you busy? If you are, it's okay. I'll—"

There was a clicking noise and the door finally opened.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting ojou-sama. I was just fixing some stuff in this room." Setsuna said to her, making way for Konoka who happily walked inside. Since the last visit she never had the chance to observe the swords-girl's room.

Setsuna's room was very simple. The only furniture you could see other than two beds, cabinet and a study table was a plain blue carpet and a small palm tree plant near the door. Too simple that it looked lonely. Konoka could never imagine herself living in this type of room, even if there's a small kitchen inside. Since her room mate Mana was resting in the infirmary Setsuna was sleeping alone in their room. Konoka turned to the other girl who just closed the door behind her.

"Well that's a relief. I thought Secchan is still angry at me."

"A-angry? I could never be angry at you, ojou-sama! I was just...just...I'm sorry, _Kono-chan_." Setsuna nervously said, slowly recalling what happened earlier. She mentally punched herself for loosing her cool with the healer. Sensing her protector's guilt, Konoka just smiled at her.

"Since Secchan called me that, it's alright. I know you better than anyone else. Besides, Negi-kun told me about the year of demons." Setsuna looked up to face Konoka.

"...Oh, he did?" '_Did Negi-Sensei tell her about my eyes?'_

Konoka nodded in reply.

"I know Secchan doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings so she isolated herself. I've decided, what I'll do to avoid that is..." Setsuna was a little confused on what Konoka was trying to tell. Konoka grabbed a round button pin from her pocket and pinned it on the upper left of her uniform. Setsuna read the words printed on it.

"'Secchan's anger manager'?" The half-demon sweat dropped.

'_What in the world did Negi-sensei tell her??'_

"That's right! If Secchan is in verge of getting upset, I'll calm her down!" Konoka said excitedly.

"I don't think this'll work, Kono-cha—" Setsuna stopped because she noticed that Konoka was looking at her seriously.

"I was very worried about you." Konoka whispered. Setsuna couldn't help but to blush again. Both of them looked at each other for a moment.

Hearing those words, Setsuna felt so warm in the inside. Without thinking, she reached a hand to caress Konoka's face, treasuring every second as her fingers lingered on the soft white skin. Slowly, she leaned closer until they were centimeters apart. Konoka on the other hand was dazed. Her protector's face was too close but she looked at the other girl intently. Setsuna woke up from her trance after realizing what she was doing and quickly backed away. Blushing madly like tomato.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" Setsuna nervously said. Both of them looked away to their opposite sides, avoiding each other's eyes.

"Oh...I forgot about the food. I know you love these so we better eat them together." Konoka changed the subject as she lifted up a paper bag containing baked treats, trying to smile.

"I'll get something to drink then, please excuse me." Setsuna said as she hurried to the small kitchen. Sensing that the swords-girl was out of sight, Konoka absent-mindedly dropped the paper bag on top of the study table, as if the little strength left in her evaporated. She placed her right hand on her chest, her heart beating like a drum.

"_Secchan you idiot..."_

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Setsuna slowly knelt down in front of the fridge and her body was shaking uncontrollably. She was holding her head like she wanted to crush it. Her body heat was climbing all the way to her head.

'_I can't believe I just did that to Kono-chan! I almost...kissed her!'_

Setsuna calmed herself. She looked at her hand, the one that touched Konoka's flawless face. Setsuna couldn't help but to think how beautiful Konoka had become since they were kids. She had grown and became a very fine young lady, not to mention kind and cheerful. And then there was her. To Konoka, she was merely a protector, a _friend._ To Setsuna, she was her life, her purpose of existence.

Now that she thought of it, what would happen if Konoka didn't need her anymore? If her princess was able to find someone else who would protect her for the rest of her life, would she still be her friend? Obviously Konoka was the type that would never leave her friends behind. However, Setsuna would rather disappear than to see Konoka being happy with someone else. That was a small part of her being selfish; she didn't have the right to tell Konoka who to love. She wondered if she could handle that scenario someday, since it's going to happen soon anyway, with Konoka attending the Omiai meeting almost every week now. Setsuna just laughed silently at herself.

"...I'm pathetic." She stood up and opened the refrigerator to get two canned Oolong(*3) beverages. She placed it on a tray with forks, small plates and a cake knife. She sighed and prepared herself to go back to her beloved ojou-sama.

"Thank you for waiting...by the way, where's Negi-sensei and Asuna-san?" Setsuna asked for a start.

"Well, they have some other things to do. Why? Am I boring?" Konoka asked with a cute puppy looking face. Setsuna panicked and blushed at the same time.

"N-No! Not all! Actually it was the other way around...I was just wondering why you came here alone. You're usually around with either Asuna-san or with your friends from the library club. I know you prefer that since it's merrier...you know, like...talking about things you have in common. Unlike me, I don't even know anything about normal teenage stuff." The young samurai looked down shyly, playing with her pale fingers. Konoka found it cute though. Giggling, she gave Setsuna a slice of the cake she had baked.

"Silly Secchan, you think too much! You know I'd rather have you than a hundred dozen normal teenage friends to talk to." The healer smiled again. Setsuna wanted to cry because of those touching words.

'_Kono-chan...Do you even realize how wonderful you are?_'

Time passed that afternoon and the two childhood friends only talked about the old days when they used to play with each other and the things they did when they were apart. Setsuna felt a lot better for the first time ever since last week. She was also relieved that her eyes never turned red when she was with the healer. Maybe she was happy, or maybe it was because of Konoka. For Setsuna, it was definitely the latter.

---------------

--Outside School Grounds, Mahora Academy--

Negi and Takahata split up on checking the invisible school barrier that protected the school from any enemies such as dark mages and stray demons. The only way to determine if there was a hole or an unidentified portal was to throw salt to the field. Both teachers needed to be discreet because they didn't want the students to know anything about the barrier or the school's secrets. Negi together with his white ferret friend Chamo, were spreading salt everywhere. He was still wearing his business attire but without his brown coat. The young teacher was also carrying a small shoulder bag filled with rock salt. At first it was fun, but as time goes by, Negi realized how big the school ground campus was.

"My paws are a little numb already, Aniki(*2)." Chamo complained. Negi too, was a little tired. But for the sake of the school and its student's safety, he mustn't give up.

Negi's shoulders were aching as well. He just couldn't imagine how Setsuna-san and Tatsumiya-san were doing this every night, keeping the school grounds safe. The child teacher sighed and sat on a small rock to rest. It was already late afternoon and the sun was about to set. Students should be in their respective dorms. Negi hoped that Asuna was back in their dorms as well.

"Negi-kun, tired already?" Takahata called far away from the child magi.

"Oh, n-not really, I was just resting a bit and then I'll continue." Negi said as he waves his hands.

"That's alright. You are young after all. I just wanted to tell you I found something near the old greenhouse garden. Let me know when you're ready." The older teacher said. Negi stood up and alerted himself.

"Don't worry about me, I'm ready!"

They went to the said old school garden. It was lonely and abandoned with lots of dried leaves scattered in the ground from the trees around it. Takahata walked near a damaged wall. As Negi followed, the older teacher threw some salt on the invisible barrier. The barrier flashed into red, black and gray. The said colors were swirling like some sort of a small portal. Negi stared in amazement.

'_So salt really works..._' He thought as he sweat dropped because he doubted the ability of it.

"Takahata-sensei...is that a portal?" Negi pointed, afraid to go near the swirl that was floating.

"No, it's just an ordinary barrier hole. It's too small for a demon or even a human child to fit. I bet something is trying to break through with this. We must close this immediately. There could be more of this." Negi could tell that Takahata was alarmed at the hole they just discovered. It looked like he's going to get less sleep again tonight. Negi looked at all directions to make sure no one's around or looking. He looked at Takahata for signal, and the older teacher nodded. Negi wielded his lightning-like staff and pointed it to the barrier hole. He chanted with a whisper but as the spell continued; his voice came loud and echoic.

"Alright, I'll close it now, _**Ras Tel Mascir Magister**_, _**SiGnuM ConTego!**_" A small amount of light came out of the tip of his staff and wrapped the damaged barrier until it closed.

"Good job, Negi-kun. Now let's part again and check other places." Takahata said as he fixed his coat.

-------------

Setsuna escorted Konoka back to her dorm room since it's already evening. As they went inside they found Asuna sitting on the carpet floor doing her homework. Konoka went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Setsuna sat beside the red-head as she waited for Konoka to be an earshot away from them. Asuna too, had been waiting for them because she wanted to talk to Setsuna about something.

"Oi Setsuna-san, did you have fun with Konoka this afternoon?" Asuna whispered. Setsuna blushed and looked at the kitchen and made sure that Konoka was busy.

"Well, I did... Asuna-san, did Negi-sensei tell you anything about me awhile ago?" Setsuna asked to change the topic.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something related to that. Negi told me that you're having temper control issues but I don't believe it. I may look stupid but a simple reason to avoid me, Konoka or anyone? I don't think it makes sense." Asuna whispered seriously. Her eyes never left Setsuna's, who looked down. The red-head's eyes softened with her friend's silent form. She had been fighting side by side with the half-demon and developed a strong bond as friends. What made Asuna frustrated was that after all they've been through as 'Ala Alba' Setsuna was still keeping secrets not from her, but to Konoka.

"I understand that it may be something I can't help you with. But Setsuna-san, if you can't tell me, at least be there for Konoka. You two are my very best friends, so is Negi. We're a family here." Asuna continued. Setsuna slowly lifted her face. The raven-haired girl nodded and they both smiled to each other before giggling. After a few minutes Konoka finally came out of the kitchen, now wearing a yellow apron on top of her Mahora uniform. It had embroidery that looked like a small Chamo.

"Dinner's ready!" The healer announced.

"Wait, where's Negi-sensei?" Setsuna asked, trying to find the child teacher. Asuna and Konoka seemed to have forgotten about him as well.

"Now that you mentioned him, he told us something about helping Takahata-sensei check the barrier that protects the school. He should be back by now." The red-head said as she recalled what Negi-said before they part. Setsuna was a bit worried about her child teacher, so she stood up and bowed at Konoka.

"I'll look for them. The school ground is bigger than anyone can imagine. It's getting dark as well." She announced. Asuna stood up and held her back.

"Wait, I better go. You stay here with Konoka. I'll be back with Negi in no time." Asuna winked and dashed out of their room. Setsuna stood still, looking at the door. She had this odd feeling that something suspicious was watching them. It may be her imagination. Mahora's protection never faltered. But she cannot depend on that alone.

"Secchan, are you alright? You're spacing out again?" Konoka sat in front of Setsuna who jumped in surprise.

"I-I'm fine, Kono-chan! I just..." The swords girl trailed off.

"Is there something that you need to tell me? I may have forgotten why I actually came to visit you this afternoon but I think it's the perfect time to confront you right now." Konoka looked at her determinedly; she knew that no matter how stubborn her winged guardian was, Setsuna wouldn't resist hiding anything from her for long.

Setsuna hesitated. She knew that Konoka would eventually notice and confront her about her obvious behaviors. She didn't even know why she was hiding it from her princess when she knew Konoka would just smile it away and tell her that she was silly for hiding such thing, or at least that's the reaction she expected from her. This wouldn't be easy for her but she needed to tell it anyway.

"What is it that's been bothering _my Secchan_?" Konoka took advantage of Setsuna's thinking state and cradled the raven-haired girl's face with her delicate hands. Setsuna was so surprised at what her princess did that she jumped and lost balance, landing on her back.

"M...M-my...Se...?" Setsuna mumbled in disbelief. Konoka giggled as she helped her poor, blushing protector sit up.

"Fufu~un...I guess it didn't work..." The healer noticed that the other girl was still daydreaming. She only did it so that Setsuna would tell her what she was hiding. Perhaps she overdid her 'little teasing'.

"Relax Secchan. I just want to make you feel at ease before telling me everything."

"B-but ojou-sama...! Doing that was just—!"

_**PAAAAAAANNNNGGG!!!!!!**_

There was a loud crash as the window in their room shatter into many pieces. Setsuna could have sworn she saw a very, very fast figure came in along with the crash but she couldn't see anything in the room right now. She secured Konoka at her back, ever alert than she imagined.

"Secchan...What's going on? What was that?" the mage-in-training asked, starting to get a little scared.

"...I don't know, ojou-sama. Don't worry. I'll never let anything happen to you even if it costs my life!" The hand gripping her sword tightened, preparing for the worst.

'_Whatever it was...is very dangerous!_'

Setsuna mentally prayed someone would come to their rescue, she wished that either Negi or Evangeline was there. For whatever it was that's in the room where they were that moment...was so powerful that it managed to break through the barrier without any of the guardians of the school noticing. She couldn't sense the intruder either for some reason. Everything in the room was so silent that it was making Setsuna more nervous.

"I think we need to call for help," Konoka suggested, her protector nodded and grabbed a piece of human-shaped paper from her pocket. She whispered a quick chant and stepped forward a little to throw the said paper outside. The paper turned into a thick smoke, slowly revealing a very small and cute version of Setsuna within seconds.

"Chibi-Setsuna, I'm counting on you!" The small summon nodded and flew out of sight.

"Ojou-sama, let's get out of here quick before—"

_**SWWOOOOOOOOSSSHH!!!!**_

Before she could grab her princess' hand, a very strong force pushed Setsuna aggressively on the wall, crushing Asuna's closet with the impact. The hanyo tried to stand up but before she could, a cold claw out of nowhere grabbed her neck and lifted her effortlessly five feet from the floor. Setsuna struggled as she tried to loosen the thing holding her neck with her own hands. Her katana, Yuunagi was nowhere to be found. She must have lost her grip in it when she first crashed. The claw slowly became a dark figure, and finally, it revealed a pale face. It was a very beautiful woman, but her hair, lips and eyes were bright red. Just like Setsuna's when her eyes were glowing. The raven-haired girl was startled despite the lack of air. The woman in front of her smiled menacingly and crushed Setsuna's form on the wall once again.

"Secchan!!!" Konoka screamed in horror as her dearest friend was being tortured by the horrifying creature in front of her. Her insides panicked as the woman's sharp claw-like fingers sunk on Setsuna's pale neck and little blood came out from each wound. The sight was killing the healer mentally, her hand was half-way on getting the wand from her pocket but it only took one threatening look from the red-eyed creature and a groan from Setsuna for her to stop. If she acted recklessly the woman would hurt the swords girl more. The dark creature looked back at the raven-haired girl.

"**At last I finally got the chance to meet you, **_**hanyo."**_

"*Choke* W-who are you!?? Let go of me!!"

"**It really doesn't matter now, does it? Your body will be mine soon anyway. I just wanted to take a good look, making sure I chose the right one."**

"What do you mean you chose the—AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!" Setsuna screamed in agony as the creature whispered a creepy chant on her left shoulder, just above her breast. Suddenly a big circle of spells came out from the woman's mouth. It looked like a pactio circle; however it was dark as black and surrounded by purple light.

"Secchan, hang on, I'll save you!" Konoka quickly grabbed her wand and unlocked her mage powers. She released a very powerful pink aura that the walls in the room were starting to crack.

'_This is my chance. It's my turn to protect you now!'_

()()()()()()()()

F.Y.I.:

1.) **Omiai**-a term for match making or arranged marriage in Japan.

2.) **Aniki**-a formal term for an older brother. The other(better if you ask me) term was Onii-san/chan/sama.

3.) **Oolong Tea**-A famous beverage in China which is made from Oolong leaves. (See Wiki)

()()()()()()()()

I'm starting to realize that this is turning into an action-romance fic. I hope it won't be too boring since I'm going to add a little angst as well.

Thank you for reading and to those who reviewed, I'm really glad you liked the first chapter. I hope to see more from everyone soon!

P.S.: You may notice I changed 'Se-chan' to 'Secchan'. It's a lot easier to type it that way, I guess that's why.

Ja! Let's daydream~!

Runie


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